history of dermatology

Dermatology as a speciality began in the 19th century. Before this the diseases of the skin were considered either as a manifestation of systemic disorder or as a route for the removal of humors. In the prehistoric period the uncivilised man had no knowledge of cutaneous disorders, the diseases in general were either due to obvious causes as injury insect bites etc. or it was the work of demons. As man became more civilised he tried to find the cause of illness and ways to treat them. Different countries had different ways to treat them, as there was no access to the outside world. The ancient man was also aware of prevention of disease, he found ways to prevent himself against small pox, long before Jenner electrified the world with smallpox vaccination. Many writings of ancient times refer to skin diseases. In the middle or the dark ages we see the spread of leprosy and bubonic plague, opening of leprosariums and public health institutions. Most of the specialities have originated in the modern age, mostly due to the advanced methods of investigations, diagnosis and treatment. Dermatology had its origin from the Vienna school of medicine by Ferdinand Hebra. Whatever the future may hold for us we should not forget the work of our ancestor. They worked at a time when hardly any facility was available to them, yet described diseases so meticulously and found therapeutic cure for them. History of medicine forms an infrastructure on which modern dermatology is based. As we trace the history of dermatology from the prehistoric times to the modern age, we see that many diseases have inflicted man again and again, some disease have been controlled, new diseases have emerged. Man's constant struggle to combat infection has led to new inventions and discoveries